KBShimmer Summer 2015 Collection: Select Swatches

Press Sample

Hello Loves!  KBShimmer has done it again, and this time on an epic scale!  Twenty-Eight new polishes in the 2015 Summer Collection are launching today.  Yes, you read that right!  28!  Today!  They are broken down into three sets:  Summer Collection Part 1, Summer Collection Part 2 and The Flakes.  I have three from each set to show you today, and I'm going to be completely honest here...they are amazing.  But I'm also kind of glad I only have three from each.  I have a feeling that 57 photo post would crash my blog.  You know, 'cause I'm all about keeping collections together and I like to show two photos of each polish plus a cover photo...

Ok, ok, I hear you.  Stop rambling and show us the goods!  So here we go.  I'm going to start with The Flakes.  The Flakes consist of 6 jewel toned, shifty polishes and four silvers with flakes in various sizes.  They can be layered over a base color or worn on their own in two to three coats.  I chose three of the jewel toned flakes.

Moody Hues is a gorgeous blue to purple shifter.  She also has some copper tones at just the right angle, but I failed to capture that in my photos.  This is two coats without a base color.  I found that that these apply best when kind of dabbed onto the nail since they are very dense with flakes.

Look On The Nightside is my favorite of the three I chose.  One quick look at my swatches will show you why.  She shifts from purple to teal to blue.  Yep, there I go with those teals and blues again.  I also found this one to have the strongest shift of the three, though they are all quite stunning.  This is two dabbed on coats without a base color.

This shot is a little blurry, but it captured the shift better than any of the others I took in this pose.

Finally, Pros and Bronze shifts from a golden hue to bronze with hints of red.  I was a little iffy about this one when I picked it since it isn't my usual choice of colors, but I really love it!  Again, this is two dabbed on coats without a base color. 

Moving on...Summer Collection Part 1 consists of 7 bleached neon creams and two holographic glitter top coats.  I chose three of the neon creams to show you.  Let me tell you, it was a tough decision!  Be sure to click through and check out the other colors in this set.  Seriously, do it.

I have to admit, I struggled with the application on these at first.  Neons and pastels are super tricky for me (not to mention polish itself is tricky since I'm so used to the way gel polish behaves).  I emailed Christy for a few pointers and it made all the difference in the world!  So I'm going to share what Christy shared with me.  Float the first coat of polish onto the nail.  It will be streaky.  Don't let the brush drag or touch the nail.  Then float the second coat the same way.  Add a third to even out any streaks if you have them.  :) 

The first color I have to show you is Sarong Place, Sarong Time.  This is a red toned purple neon.  I adore this shade so much!  It is bright and lovely but not so bright that it freaks out on my pale skin.  This is three coats, but if you are better than I am at applying lacquer, you can likely get perfect coverage with two coats.

Oh look, I chose a blue.  I know you're shocked.  ;)  In Yacht Water is a bright, pastel, sky blue cream.  This one did freak my skin out a little, but it will be perfect when I pick up a little color this summer.  I swatched two coats below.

Finally, Rum Me The Right Way is an awesome bright yellow.  I want to call it a sunshine yellow because it reminds me of the yellow crayon I always used as a kid.  But whatever you call it, this baby is BRIGHT!  It dries much brighter than it appears in the bottle, which surprised me a little. :)

Summer Collection Part 2 consists of glitter, sparkle and holo!  This one is what I would consider a standard KBShimmer collection - it has something for everyone.  Of course, I gravitated toward the holos, but I'm going to share the press release photo to give you an idea of the other offerings.  I have swatched the bottom three in this photo for you today.  :)

You might recognize What Are You Wading For? from a previous post.  This gorgeous blue holo grabbed me as soon as I pulled it out of the box, and I had to wear it right away.  This is two easy coats.  The holo shows best in the second photo.

Alloy Matey! is an awesome, microfine silver holographic glitter.  It makes a beautiful topper in one thin coat but builds to full coverage in two coats.  I see myself using this one a lot!  I swatched two coats below.  The holo is scattered and is quite strong. 

Finally, We Be Jammin' is a purple polish that is so packed with action I'm having trouble describing it.  It starts with a red toned purple base.  Then pile on the blue toned purple shimmer.  Then finish with a scattered holographic shimmer.  And my brain is fried.  There's just so much going on in this bottle that adds up to an amazing polish.  Love, love, love it!

Seriously, y'all, be sure to head over to KBShimmer's website and check out the other shades in this release.  I know I gush over KBShimmer a lot...way more than one might expect a gel polish blogger to gush over lacquer, but these really are just amazing.  Christy and her team pour their hearts and souls into every bottle.  And the formula is fantastic.  Let me tell just just how fantastic - we use OPI at school and I can't polish with it to save my life.  But hand me a bottle of KBShimmer and it's like I've been working with lacquer for years.  Even the neons that gave my inexperienced hand a little trouble are easier to apply for me than the OPI.  Don't get me wrong, I'm not bashing OPI...KBShimmer is just that good.  :)


~Michelle.

*The polishes featured in this post were provided by KBShimmer for my honest review.  All links are courtesy links and do not benefit ManicTalons.com